Let It Bleed / Let It Be ?

**rcarlberg** · 11-12-2015

Playing the Rolling Stones "Let It Bleed" this morning -- great album -- and I wondered, is the title a play on the Beatles album? Two years earlier they'd mocked the Beatles with Satanic Majesties/Sgt. Pepper's.

Let It Bleed was recorded November 1968 to November 1969, released December 8 1969.

Let it Be was recorded February 1968 with overdubs into April 1970, released May 1970. But surely the Rolling Stones would have been aware of the long sad saga of the Let It Be album long before it was released?

**philsunset** · 11-12-2015

The Stones were definitely aware of Let It Be before it's release and they played up the supposed rivalry. Beatles-good Stones-bad. The Beatles and Stones were on a friendly basis.

**grego** · 11-12-2015

I think both bands never took seriously their rivalry, more a public relations act, than real deal.

**JJ88** · 11-12-2015

Originally the Let It Be album was called Get Back (there was an acetate of this title)- and that makes sense given the 'back to basics' aspect of the music. The final product as realised by Phil Spector had little to do with what was originally planned.

**Dave (in MA)** · 11-12-2015

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/ar...s-auction.html

Designer Robert Brownjohn was commissioned to create the image by his friend, guitarist Keith Richards, and was influenced by the working title of the album, Automatic Changer.

**rcarlberg** · 11-12-2015

So "Automatic Changer" and "Get Back" and maybe the final album titles are just a coincidence?

**bob_32_116** · 11-12-2015

Of course I have no inside knowledge of what went on inside the Stones' camp or the Beatles' camp - but I do think most of these so-called rivalries are big media beat-ups. Blur vs Oasis, anyone?

**Jerjo** · 11-12-2015

Don't know why but I forgot I had a copy of Let it Be...Naked. So so so much better than the original. Less filler, better sound, adds back "Don't Let Me Down". It's a whole 'nother album.

Regarding Let it Bleed, the second album in that four album blitzkrieg of the Stones at their nasty peak. I wish they had swapped out "Country Honk" for "Honky Tonk Women" and just ditched "Monkey Man" but there's just some awesome rock on this.

That whole upper tier of British rock pretty much all knew each other and often hung around. There were a few rivalries but a lot of it was staged. There was a TV interview with Jagger (complete with a stoned Charlie Watts wandering around the set) and Mick was asked about the Beatles, so he made a couple of snarky remarks about their breaking up. He then confided to another reporter that he just did it as some sort of inside joke between him and Lennon.

**JJ88** · 11-12-2015

^The original Let It Be did John Lennon no favours at all. Not that he contributed much to those sessions anyway, but 'Don't Let Me Down' improves the whole enterprise so much. And the original album is a weird mish-mash of audio verite (false starts, studio chat, jams) and overproduction (the strings/choir overdubs).

'Monkey Man' is great! Some superb guitar on that, and that long intro is marvellous!

**Mister Triscuits** · 11-12-2015

Love "Monkey Man." Ultra-cool intro. Ripping Keef guitar. Hilarious lyrics. "Well I hope we're not too messianic, or a trifle too satanic...love to play the bleeeewwws!"

**Zeuhlmate** · 11-13-2015

Let it be is IMO the worst album Beatles made.
Let it Bleed has some great tracks Gimme Shelter, Monkey Man, Midnight Rambler.

**Digital_Man** · 11-13-2015

[Let it be is IMO the worst album Beatles made. ]

Have you heard Beatles for Sale?

Yellow Submarine is supposed to be pretty bad too but I haven't heard it.

**Zeuhlmate** · 11-13-2015

Originally Posted by Digital_Man

[Let it be is IMO the worst album Beatles made. ]

Have you heard Beatles for Sale?

yes - I bought the box some years ago, and allthough I'm not crazy about the earliest albums either, they have a certain charm. I remember as a child liking "Rock and Roll Music" a lot. On the other hand - its Chuck Berry

"Help" is great !

**Spiral** · 11-13-2015

Originally Posted by philsunset

they played up the supposed rivalry. ... The Beatles and Stones were on a friendly basis.

Yeah, that's how I always understood it. They wouldn't have nicked each other's stuff so much if there wasn't some mutual respect there.

**JJ88** · 11-13-2015

I think Let It Be is easily the weakest Beatles album, I don't think there's any other serious contender. Beatles For Sale and Help certainly have lesser songs as well, but they still hold up far better IMHO. It's not a comment on the quality of the material, Paul especially brought his A game to those sessions, but how it was originally released.

Let It Be...Naked was a sincere attempt to make sense of the recordings and create a cohesive album out of the sprawling chaos these sessions devolved into. Adding 'Don't Let Me Down' and ditching 'Dig It' and all the other 'jokey' stuff made a big difference, and they retained some of Spector's better decisions (the longer 'I Me Mine', getting rid of the clunky intro/outro on 'Dig A Pony'). But it too was flawed- I wasn't crazy about the running order, for instance, having 'Get Back' at the start meant we lost John's iconic 'passed the audition' ad-lib. And some fans feel that it's too 'perfect'.

**ronmac** · 11-13-2015

Originally Posted by rcarlberg

Playing the Rolling Stones "Let It Bleed" this morning -- great album -- and I wondered, is the title a play on the Beatles album? Two years earlier they'd mocked the Beatles with Satanic Majesties/Sgt. Pepper's.

Let It Bleed was recorded November 1968 to November 1969, released December 8 1969.

Let it Be was recorded February 1968 with overdubs into April 1970, released May 1970. But surely the Rolling Stones would have been aware of the long sad saga of the Let It Be album long before it was released?

Not sure where you got your dates. Recording for "Let It Be" (the song) began in January 1969. Yes, some of the tracks that ended up on the final LP began earlier, but not with the vision of any particular album in mind. Certainly not one titled "Let It Be," which wasn't even the original title.

I also think it's a bit of a stretch to think that the Stones were mocking "Pepper" with the release of TSMR.

Originally Posted by JJ88

Originally the Let It Be album was called Get Back (there was an acetate of this title)- and that makes sense given the 'back to basics' aspect of the music. The final product as realised by Phil Spector had little to do with what was originally planned.

"Get Back" should have a proper release. One thing that mystifies me to this day.

**Guitarplyrjvb** · 11-13-2015

Let it Be is one of my favorite Beatle records, particularly the Naked version. It sounds live and the tone of the guitars and the vocal interplay is to die for. It sounds like they're playing in your living room! George's guitar parts are compositions in themselves.

**philsunset** · 11-13-2015

Originally Posted by ronmac

I also think it's a bit of a stretch to think that the Stones were mocking "Pepper" with the release of TSMR.

Maybe not mocking but a friendly jab. If one were to look closely they would find the Beatles faces on the TSMR cover.

**ronmac** · 11-13-2015

Originally Posted by philsunset

Maybe not mocking but a friendly jab. If one were to look closely they would find the Beatles faces on the TSMR cover.

Indeed, like the Stones reference on the cover of "Pepper." But, any suggestion that they were mocking or rivals is fabricated (as pointed out earlier). Hell, The Beatles gave the Stones their first record and members of each band appeared on their songs. In fact, the flip-side of the "Let It Be" single ("You Know My Name") features Brian Jones on sax.

**Mister Triscuits** · 11-13-2015

Originally Posted by ronmac

Indeed, like the Stones reference on the cover of "Pepper." But, any suggestion that they were mocking or rivals is fabricated (as pointed out earlier). Hell, The Beatles gave the Stones their first record and members of each band appeared on their songs. In fact, the flip-side of the "Let It Be" single ("You Know My Name") features Brian Jones on sax.

And Paul McCartney allegedly appears on Satanic Majesties (percussion on "She's a Rainbow"), as well as both Lennon and McCartney providing backing vocals on the pre-Satanic single "We Love You."

**rcarlberg** · 11-13-2015

Originally Posted by ronmac

"Get Back" should have a proper release. One thing that mystifies me to this day.

"Let It Be...Naked"?

**mogrooves** · 11-13-2015

Friendly rivalry. But no one kept an eye on the charts like Lennon.

**Vic2012** · 11-13-2015

I like Let It Be fine the way it is. I like all the banter and joking between the songs. I haven't bothered with Naked. I'm fine with the original. It's how I heard it, and I like it.

**grego** · 11-13-2015

Originally Posted by Digital_Man

[Let it be is IMO the worst album Beatles made. ]

Have you heard Beatles for Sale?

Yellow Submarine is supposed to be pretty bad too but I haven't heard it.

I agree. For Sale is their lowest.